# Festa di San Calogero in Petralia Sottana > Festa di San Calogero in Petralia Sottana, 17 and 18 June: the Settina, the eve procession with fireworks and the saint's heavy float with 18 stops. - Page: https://www.lemadonie.it/en/events/festa-di-san-calogero-petralia-sottana/ - Updated: 2026-10-19 - Other languages: [Italiano](https://www.lemadonie.it/eventi/festa-san-calogero-petralia-sottana.md) · [Español](https://www.lemadonie.it/es/eventos/fiesta-de-san-calogero-petralia-sottana.md) · [Français](https://www.lemadonie.it/fr/evenements/fete-de-san-calogero-petralia-sottana.md) · [Deutsch](https://www.lemadonie.it/de/veranstaltungen/festa-di-san-calogero-patronatsfest-petralia-sottana.md) ## At a glance | | | |---|---| | 2026 edition | 17 – 21 June 2026 | | Where | Chiesa Madre, church of Santi Giovanni Battista e Calogero Eremita and streets of the centre, [Petralia Sottana](https://www.lemadonie.it/en/villages/petralia-sottana/) | | Category | Religious festival | | Recurrence | Every year, 17 and 18 June, preceded by the Settina | | Organiser | Parrocchia Chiesa Madre, Comune di Petralia Sottana | | Source | https://madoniedintorni.com/2026/06/10/tra-memoria-e-identita-petralia-sottana-celebra-il-centenario-del-monumento-ai-caduti-e-la-festa-del-patrono-san-calogero/ (checked on 2026-10-19) | ## Programme Eve on 17 June with the end of the Settina, first vespers, the evening procession and fireworks in the square; on the 18th entrusting of the town to the saint and procession of the relic and the image. Combined with the centenary of the War Memorial. The feast of San Calogero is the most heartfelt feast in [Petralia Sottana](https://www.lemadonie.it/en/villages/petralia-sottana/). On the evening of 17 June, the eve, the Settina ends and a first procession crosses the town, with fireworks in the square. On 18 June the town entrusts itself to the saint and, in the afternoon, the relic and image of San Calogero go round the town on a heavy float, with eighteen stops. In 2026 the feast ran from 17 to 21 June, together with the centenary of the War Memorial. Officially the patron saint of Petralia Sottana is San Giuseppe. But, as Cefalunews reports, for most people in Petralia the true protector is San Calogero. ## Why San Calogero The devotion has old roots. The saint's relic arrived in Petralia in 1747. The statue, by Friar Umile da Petralia, dates from the first half of the 17th century and is kept in the church of San Giovanni, which locals call the church of San Calò. The decisive step came in the 19th century. During the cholera of 1837 the townspeople called on San Giuseppe and San Calogero; around 1840, while official documents still named San Giuseppe, people began to venerate San Calogero with more fervour. From then on his feast became the town's main event, accompanied by a large livestock fair. ## The Settina and the eve The feast begins with the Settina: in 2024 it ran from 1 to 17 June, at 7:00 in the Chiesa Madre, preached by seven different priests. On 17 June, at noon, the bells ring and the band goes round the town. In the evening there are first vespers, the eve mass and the procession with the small image of the saint, with a torchlight parade and fireworks. ## 18 June and the procession of the float On the morning of the 18th, at six, a committee member adorns the statue with the reliquary. At the church entrance a stall hands out holy cards and small blessed votive loaves in exchange for an offering. Hymns, invocations and masses follow; the bishop entrusts the town to the saint. In the afternoon, after vespers, the procession begins. The statue, adorned with gold, little bells, votive offerings and flowers brought by the faithful, leaves the church backwards, so as not to turn its back on the Blessed Sacrament. The head of the bearers guides the float with the cries "Priparamu!" and "Ludamu e ringraziamu lu Santissimu Sacramientu!", and the crowd answers "Viva San Caloriu!". The route makes eighteen stops, in memory of the day the saint reached glory. On the town's steep streets the bearers form a human chain to help carry the float. On the return comes the "spinnata da vara e du Santu": the statue is stripped of its precious robes and dressed again in the wooden ones, then taken back to the altar. The float's decorations are taken home by the faithful for those who were absent or ill. ## Recent editions | Year | Dates | Notes | |---|---|---| | 2026 | 17-21 June | mass by bishop Giuseppe Marciante on the 18th, centenary of the War Memorial and Festa delle Radici with De.Co. products | | 2024 | 17-18 June | Settina from 1 to 17 June; procession of the float on the 18th at 15:30 from the Chiesa Madre to the church of Santi Giovanni Battista e Calogero Eremita | ## Getting there and where to stay Petralia Sottana is about 105 km from Palermo (1 and a half hours, A19 to Tremonzelli and then SS120) and about 60 km from Cefalù (1 hour 5), according to our calculation on OpenStreetMap without traffic. The sources do not mention dedicated parking: for the roads see the [guide to driving in the Madonie](https://www.lemadonie.it/en/roads/). To stay the night see [where to stay in Petralia Sottana](https://www.lemadonie.it/en/villages/petralia-sottana/where-to-stay/) and before you set off the [Petralia Sottana weather](https://www.lemadonie.it/en/weather/petralia-sottana/). In August the town has the [Ballo della Cordella](https://www.lemadonie.it/en/events/ballo-della-cordella-ribbon-dance-and-wedding-procession/); the other patron saints' feasts are in the calendar of [religious festivals in the Madonie](https://www.lemadonie.it/en/events/religious-festivals/). ## Past editions - 2024: 17 – 18 June 2024. [Source](https://cefalunews.org/2024/06/16/petralia-sottana-una-festa-secolare-per-il-patrono-san-calogero-fra-tradizione-e-devozione/) ## Frequently asked questions ### When is San Calogero celebrated in Petralia Sottana? The feast days are 17 June, the eve, and 18 June, with the procession of the float. Before that comes the Settina, a series of early-morning masses in the Chiesa Madre. In 2026 the feast ran from 17 to 21 June, together with the centenary of the War Memorial. ### Is San Calogero the patron saint of Petralia Sottana? Officially the patron is San Giuseppe, but according to Cefalunews most people in Petralia consider San Calogero their true protector. The shift dates back to the mid-19th century, after the cholera of 1837; the saint's relic had arrived in the town in 1747. ### What is the procession of the float like? On the afternoon of 18 June the relic and image of the saint come out on a heavy float, adorned with gold, little bells, votive offerings and flowers. The statue leaves the church backwards so as not to turn its back on the Blessed Sacrament and stops at eighteen points in the town. On the steep streets the bearers form a human chain. ### What are the votive loaves? On 18 June, at the church entrance, a stall hands out holy cards and small blessed votive loaves in exchange for an offering, and during the morning the votive loaves are distributed to the faithful. ### Who carved the statue of San Calogero? The statue is by Friar Umile da Petralia, from the first half of the 17th century, and is kept in the church of San Giovanni, which locals call the church of San Calò. On the feast day it is dressed in precious robes, which are removed on its return in the "spinnata da vara e du Santu". ### How do you get to Petralia Sottana? From Palermo it is about 105 km (1 and a half hours) on the A19 to the Tremonzelli exit and then the SS120; from Cefalù about 60 km (1 hour 5). These are estimates from our calculation on OpenStreetMap, without traffic. The sources do not mention dedicated parking. ## Sources - [Cefalunews, una festa secolare per San Calogero (16 giugno 2024)](https://cefalunews.org/2024/06/16/petralia-sottana-una-festa-secolare-per-il-patrono-san-calogero-fra-tradizione-e-devozione/) - [Madoniedintorni, festa del patrono e centenario del Monumento ai Caduti (10 giugno 2026)](https://madoniedintorni.com/2026/06/10/tra-memoria-e-identita-petralia-sottana-celebra-il-centenario-del-monumento-ai-caduti-e-la-festa-del-patrono-san-calogero/) - [Il Cefalino, Petralia Sottana in festa per San Calogero (23 giugno 2026)](https://www.ilcefalino.it/petralia-sottana-in-festa-per-san-calogero-il-vescovo-marciante-i-nostri-paesi-hanno-bisogno-di-una-nuova-generazione-ripopolamento-sia-priorita-per-tutti/) --- Markdown version of the page https://www.lemadonie.it/en/events/festa-di-san-calogero-petralia-sottana/, from Le Madonie (lemadonie.it), an independent guide to the Madonie. Facts with source and date of check.